--- title: סָפַר — count · The Tanakh dictionary description: סָפַר (5608), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 105 times: count. BDB 1906: vb. count Pi. recount, relate. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5608.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)‎ / סָפַר‎ # סָפַר «סָפַר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **count** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 105 times · **Key:** 5608 · **BDB:** סָפַר ### Glosses he.recounted (10); recount (9); I.will.recount (6) ### Meaning (OSHB) count [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5608/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. count Pi. recount, relate [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5608/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. count, Pi. recount, relate (prob. ancient denom. from סֵפֶר; NH = BH; Ethiopic ሰፈረ; measure Di404);— Pf. 3 ms. ס׳ 2 S 24:10, 2 ms. סָפַרְתָּה ψ 56:9, וְסָפַרְתָּ֫ Lv 25:8, etc.; Impf. יִסְפֹּר ψ 87:6 + Jb 38:37 where read prob. יִסְפֹּר (Bu) for MT יְסַפֵּר, יְסְפּוֹר Jb 31:4, וַיִּסְפֹּר 2 Ch 2:1, 16, sf. וַיִּסְפְּרֵם Ezr 1:8; 2 ms. תִּסְפֹּר Jb 39:2, תִּסְפּוֹר 14:16, תִּסְפָּר־ Dt 16:9, etc.; Imv. ms. סְפֹר Gn 15:5; mpl. סִפְרוּ 1 Ch 21:2 ψ 48:13; Inf. cstr. לִסְפֹּר Gn 15:5 + 2 times; Pt. סֹפֵר Is 33:18(×2) (v. also סֹפֵר n. infr.);— count things, to learn their number, c. acc., Gn 15:5(×2) (J) 2 S 24:10 + 10 times (+ acc. cogn. 2 Ch 2:16); acc. om. Gn 41:49 (E); + ל (dat. comm. vel eth.), Lv 15:13, 28; 23:15; 25:8 (all PH), Dt 16:9; Ez 44:26; Ezr 1:8 ψ 87:6 Is 33:18 (abs.), v 18 (but text suspicious, conjj. in Du CheHpt). number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon: צְעָדַי תִּסְפּוֹר Jb 14:16 of my steps thou takest account, so 31:4; v. also 38:37 (cf. supr.); נֹדִי סָפַרְתָּה ψ 56:9 my wandering hast thou reckoned, taken into account (Che reads סִפַּרְתִּי after 𝔊). Impf. 3 ms. יִסָּפֵר Ho 2:1 + 4 times; 3 mpl. יִסָּֽפְרוּ 1 K 8:5; 2 Ch 5:6, וַיִּסָּֽפְרוּ 1 Ch 23:3;— be counted, numbered, usually c. neg., to indicate multitude, לֹא יִסּ׳ מֵרֹב Gn 16:10 (J) it is not to be counted, for multitude, so 32:13 (J), 1 K 3:8 (‖ לֹא יִסָּנֶה), 8:5 (+ id.), 2 Ch 5:6 (+ id.); cf. Ho 2:1 (+ לֹא־יִמַּד), Je 33:22 (‖ לֹא יִמַּד); positively, only וַיִּסָּֽפְרוּ הַלְּוִיִּם 1 Ch 23:3. Pf. 1 s. סִפַּ֫רְתִּי ψ 119:26, סִפַּ֑רְתִּי v 13; 3 pl. סִפְּרוּ Ju 6:13 + 3 times; Impf. 3 ms. יְסַפֵּר Jb 38:37 +, 1 s. אֲסַפֵּר ψ 22:18 +; cohort. אֲסַפֵּ֑רָה Jb 15:17; 1 pl. וַנְּסַפֶּר־ Ex 10:2, etc.; Imv. סַפֵּר Is 43:26, etc.; Inf. cstr. (לְ)סַפֵּר ψ 50:16 + 5 times; Pt. מְסַפֵּר Ju 7:13; 2 K 8:5; pl. מְסַפְּרִים ψ 19:2; 78:4;—recount, rehearse, declare: recount something (acc.), to (לְ pers.) Ju 6:13; 7:13; Gn 24:66 (J), 1 S 11:5 + 18 times (of rehearsing glorious deeds of י׳ ψ 44:2; 73:28; 78:3, 4; 79:13); c. acc. + בְּ loc. Ez 12:16, elsewhere of rehearsing name or praise of י׳ Ex 9:16 (J) ψ 9:15; 96:3 = 1 Ch 16:24, ψ 102:22 Je 51:10; c. acc. alone ψ 9:2; 19:2; 119:13 (+ בְּ instr.), 145:6 + 8 times ψψ + Is 43:21, all of rehearsing praise of י׳; cf. צְמוּ מִסַּפֵּר ψ 40:6 they are too great to rehearse, c. acc. also Je 23:28, 32; Jb 15:17; 28:27 ψ 119:26; acc. om. Is 43:26, c. לְ pers. Gn 40:8 (E) + 6 times, c. אֶל־ pers. Gn 37:10 (E), c. בְּאָזְנֵי Ex 10:2; c. בְּמוֹ (q.v.) ψ 73:15; c. אֶל־ concerning ψ 2:7, cf. 69:27 (𝔊 𝔖 Ew Ol Gr Bi Che Bae add; in that case read יֹסִ֑פּוּ); c. עַל־ concerning, + לְ pers. Jo 1:3. appar., in weakened sense, talk ψ 59:13, 64:6 (c. ל concerning), 73:15 (c. כְּמוֹ). count exactly, accurately, אֲסַפֵּר כָּל־עַצְמוֹתָ֑י ψ 22:18 I can count exactly all my bones (in wasted body).—ψ 40:6 v. sub 1, Jb 38:37 read יִסְפִּר. be recounted, related, rehearsed: Pf. 3 ms. סֻפַּר לְ Is 52:15; Impf. 3 ms. יְסֻפַּר לְ Jb 37:20 (cl. as subj.), + לְ concerning ψ 22:31; c. בְּ loc. 88:12; abs. יְסֻפָּ֑ר Hb 1:5. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 73 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (7 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «סָפַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5608/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Job 39:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.39.2/) תִּסְפֹּ֣ר יְרָחִ֣ים תְּמַלֶּ֑אנָה וְ֝יָדַ֗עְתָּ עֵ֣ת לִדְתָּֽנָה׃ *Word for word:* will.you.count? \[the\].months \[which\].they.complete and do.you.know? the.time of their.bringing.forth *JPS 1917:* Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? [Psalms 48:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.48.13/) סֹ֣בּוּ צִ֭יּוֹן וְהַקִּיפ֑וּהָ סִ֝פְר֗וּ מִגְדָּלֶֽיהָ׃ *Word for word:* go.around Zion and go round.it count towers its *JPS 1917:* Walk about Zion, and go round about her; count the towers thereof. - ← previous: [סָפַק](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e1_5b8_5e4_5b7_5e7.md) - next →: [סְפָר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5610.md) - ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)